A Thousand Lifetimes
by CrazyGirlofManyNames
Summary: Madara was right. Naruto and Sasuke's type of rivalry goes back a long time. DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Naruto.

**A Thousand Lifetimes**

**By:**

**CrazyGirlOfManyNames**

_Until the day I die_

_I'll spill my heart for you_

_As years go by_

_I race the clock with you_

_But if you died right now_

_You know that I'd die too – Story of the Year_

"CHIDORI!"

"RASENGAN!" Two figures fought once again at the Valley of the End, hands blaring with their most favorite moves. Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, once the best of friends and comrades, had finally started the fight that was going to decide the fate of the ninja world. For if Naruto lost, his demon would be taken and Madara would be able to get the Juubi sealed inside he and basically end the world with one big genjutsu.

Naruto and Sasuke's two moves reached each other and Naruto was getting the upper hand with his Rasengan. But then Sasuke pushed forward. It was a battle between the Chidori and the Rasengan, both made for the other. Naruto knew that he could easily unleash Kyuubi's energy or use senjutsu. Sasuke knew that he could easily use Amaterasu, Tsukiyomi and Susanoo. Sasuke or Naruto did not have the heart to do so. Naruto did not want to kill Sasuke nor did Sasuke think he could bring himself to kill Naruto, but in reality he really did not want to kill Naruto.

Suddenly, Naruto realized what must be done. He eased up the chakra to the Rasengan a little bit. Sasuke unconsciously pushed forward, but stopped himself just in time.

Then all of a sudden, both Naruto and Sasuke fell unconscious into the water below, not hearing the screams of back up for Naruto or that of Uchiha Madara.

Naruto opened his eyes blearily and sat up. He smelt rice and meat cooking somewhere, which should not be right because he was supposed to be fighting Sasuke. Naruto rubbed his eyes and took a look around. Sasuke was sleeping next to him on another futon. He reached over and shook Sasuke.

The dark haired avenger open his eyes, well what once his brother Itachi's eyes. Sharingan was off, thankfully. Both noticed they were bandaged up. The room felt familiar in a weird sort of way.

"Naruto," asked Sasuke, "where are we?" His temper was calm right now, because he was unsure that he should fight with Naruto right now.

"I have no idea 'ttebayo," said Naruto, scrunching up his fox-like face in thought. Then, a blonde haired girl a little bit older than them entered the room. She wore a white and black hakama. She carried a tray with two bows of rice, two plates of meat and two cups of tea. She stared at them with blue eyes. Sasuke noted right away, she looked a lot like Naruto.

"I see, our visitors have woken up," said the girl. She gave them each some food and drink. "You two were beaten up badly, you're lucky Rinji found you otherwise your wounds would have gotten infected."

"Where are we," asked Sasuke, the always blunt one.

"Ah, you're in a temple to the Sun Goddess Amaterasu. It used to be a set of four, one to another goddess and two to gods, but those were destroyed. I'm the head priestess here, my name's Maiya. Well, I'm the only priestess here," said the girl, sheepishly. Sasuke and Naruto exchanged brief looks at the mention of Amaterasu, which is the name of one of the Uchiha Clan's Mangekyou Sharingan techniques. "Rinji is a monk, but he's out searching for more medicinal herbs for you two."

"Hey, thanks for the food, Maiya-san," said Naruto, digging in. Sure it was no ramen, but Naruto was very hungry. Sasuke began eating more politely. Maiya just grinned. Sasuke almost choked on his food. This priestess Maiya had the same exact grin as Naruto. Something really weird was going on.

"What are your names? So, where do you two come from? I never saw you around these parts. Are you from a different island," asked Maiya, curiously.

"I'm Naruto, he's Sasuke. We're travelers. The two of us don't really have a home," said Naruto, simply. Thankfully, Jiraiya taught Naruto how to lie well. Never give real full names and say a believable profession.

"Well, while it may not look like much, you two are welcome to stay here until you can travel again," said Maiya. "It's the first time we've ever had any company. We don't have much, but Rinji and I are willing to help you out as long as you need." Naruto bowed politely, as he elbowed Sasuke to do the same thing. Maiya picked up the empty dishes and left the two boys to their business.

"What the hell, Naruto," asked Sasuke, rubbing his side.

"Sasuke, for now, we have to work together. I have weird vibes about this place, dattebayo," said Naruto, whispering the lowest he could. "That girl looks like me, have you noticed?"

"No shit," said Sasuke, rolling his eyes.

"Keep your voice down," said Naruto. "This could be some weird genjutsu or something that Madara put us in."

"I don't have to listen to you, idiot," said Sasuke, scoffing.

"What are you going to then? Are you going to go ax-crazy homicidal here, like you did at the Kage Summit," asked Naruto, snapping quietly. "These two people helped us out of the kindness of their hearts; we can't cause trouble for them." Honestly, Naruto was getting sick and tired of Sasuke's better-than-thou attitude. Sasuke quickly looked away from Naruto, for a moment in thought. Naruto got to Sasuke for once.

"Fine, so we're travelers," asked Sasuke.

"Yeah, make no mention of your Clan or Konoha or anything like that for the time being," said Naruto. Thankfully, Jiraiya taught Naruto how to handle being in every weird possible situation. Sasuke thought that Naruto was actually being smart about this whole thing. Maybe, Naruto was smarter than he (Sasuke) gave the blonde credit for. A voice, a strong, steady voice boomed through the complex.

"I'm home," said a male. Maiya from the other room exclaimed that it was about time and did he get lost, again? Naruto and Sasuke heard the shuffling of feet. Maiya and most likely Rinji entered the room. "I see they are up. I hope Maiya fed you."

"Of course, I did," said Maiya, whacking the man's shoulder. "I'll go fetch some more bandages, you start mixing the stuff." To the surprise of both injured boys, Rinji was a tall, imposing black haired and black eyed man, similar that to an Uchiha. Sasuke noted that the most, but Naruto couldn't help but gap at the sight of the similarities of Sasuke and Rinji. Rinji was really cool looking, though.

Rinji sat down nearby and took out mixing bowls and began laying out different plants and herbs. With skill and accuracy, he began working. As he worked, he smiled at the boys.

"Maiya tells me you are Naruto and Sasuke, travelers. We don't get many travelers. Is there anything in particular that you do to get by?"

"We do different things," said Naruto.

Rinji smiled again. "Then how in the world did you manage to get yourselves do beat up? There are not many road bandits."

"Wild animals," said Sasuke, quickly.

"Ah, yes, those can be a problem on occasion, especially snakes," said Rinji. "Maiya, hurry up with those bandages!" Maiya came in with white cloths. "Do we have enough food for dinner?"

"Yes," said Maiya, blankly.

"Maiya, get out, while we help our guests," said Rinji.

"It'll be faster if I help," said Maiya, stubbornly. Rinji and Maiya had a quick staring contest, which unnerved both injured boys. "Fine." Maiya lost and left the room, in a huff. Rinji rolled his eyes at her.

"Sorry about her, she sometimes forgets that she is a girl," said Rinji. Naruto blinked in realization. Rinji didn't want to expose Maiya to half naked boys. Rinji silently helped Naruto first with his wounds. Naruto quickly made sure that his seal was not visible, which it was, but Rinji made no notice of it. Perhaps he thought it was a tattoo. Naruto decided to ask a question.

"Any interesting news lately," asked Naruto. He had to find out where they were.

"Uh, yes, but it's not really news. Unfortunately, Juubi is almost through the barrier around the four islands, it has killed many outside the barrier. Too many refugees are flooding the towns, people are panicking. But it is nothing new, eh," said Rinji. Naruto almost began freaking out and realized where he was. He was somehow in the time of Juubi, in the time of the Rikudo Sennin. Sasuke looked bewildered at the realization in Naruto's eyes.

"Too bad no one can get rid of Juubi," said Naruto. Sasuke sent Naruto a look, which Rinji did not catch.

"Dealing with demons is the priestesses and the monks problem, well was," said Rinji, sighing.

"Isn't that you," asked Naruto. Rinji must be the Rikudo Sennin (Kakashi told him the legend of the Rikudo Sennin after Madara's story, it was thought that the Rikudo Sennin was a monk).

"Yeah," said Rinji. "But you don't understand, Maiya and I are the only priestess and monk, practicing. There are other monks, but those men are just in name to get free stuffy out of people."

"In other words, you and Maiya-san have no idea how to deal with the giant demon at your gates," said Naruto. Rinji finished bandaging him up. Rinji moved over to Sasuke.

"Well, we are trying," said Rinji.

"People are blaming you, I assume," said Sasuke.

"Always, that's why Amaterasu Temple is the only one left and it is slowly falling apart," said Rinji. "No one trusts us anymore, even though our parents sacrificed themselves for those people." The last part was said in a whisper but both Naruto and Sasuke caught it. Naruto realized what happened.

The barrier must have taken human sacrifices to put up and Rinji and Maiya's parents must have done it.

"So, are you and Maiya-san brother and sister," asked Naruto.

"Oh, no," said Rinji. "But we are as good as; our parents were the last two priestesses and two monks at the temple. Luckily, they raised us until we could fend for ourselves the past twelve years." Rinji finished patching up Sasuke. "Maiya, you can come back in!" She entered with more food.

"You didn't eat today, Rinji," said Maiya.

"Thanks," said Rinji. A knock was heard. The temple was quite acoustic. Rinji and Maiya quickly looked at each other. Naruto noted the panic. People hated Maiya and Rinji for something they could not help. Sounds kind of familiar, Naruto mused. "It's either a tax collector or an angry mob." Naruto winced (that's why he never usually answered his door until he became a ninja—money collectors or an angry person)

"Either of which, we are not answering the knock," said Maiya.

"Wait, they're taxing you," asked Naruto, unbelievingly. Temples were supposed to be sacred and people that ran temples usually lived off of offerings, barely. "But it doesn't look like you have much of anything to pay." Sasuke knew it was pissing off Naruto. Naruto was too kind-hearted for his own good.

"I'll answer for you," said Sasuke. Naruto gave Sasuke a warning look, not to kill anybody. Sasuke got up and then hobbled away. Maiya quickly caught Sasuke as the avenger almost fell.

"Get your chicken butt haired ass back to rest," said Maiya, commandingly. Sasuke blinked at the insult. She placed Sasuke back on his futon. She stalked in the other room. A few minutes later, she came back in with a pretty silver haired and brown eyed girl. She looked like a princess or something. "It was just Wakana-hime for Rinji." Maiya had the biggest grin on her face directed at Rinji. Rinji just looked like he wanted to die of embarrassment, though he was relived that it wasn't the other two options. Naruto could not help but grin. Rinji must like this Wakana-hime girl and vice versa.

"Wakana-hime, you shouldn't be out here by yourself. I don't want your father to get mad at you," said Rinji.

"I don't care," said Wakana. Her eyes told of an untapped strength. Maiya grinned as she patted Wakana on the shoulder.

"He's just worried, because he likes you."

"Maiya!"

"What I'm just telling her the truth," said Maiya, innocently. "So, you normally don't knock, hime, what's wrong?" Wakana shoved a pouch into Maiya's hands and also a handkerchief that looked like it was wrapped around something. Maiya looked into both and quickly handed it back to Wakana. "That is yours, you keep it."

"Look at the box, Maiya-san," said Wakana, "closely." Maiya sighed and looked the box that was wrapped in the handkerchief. Maiya blinked. "It is an heirloom, it's supposedly really old. I recognized it from writing in the front of the Amaterasu building."

"But the money, we can't take," said Maiya, handing the pouch back. "You'll get in trouble." The brown eyed girl looked seriously at Maiya.

"It's a dowry." Maiya looked bewildered. "You and Rinji-san need to figure out the way to get rid of Juubi, I know you're close. You've been working so hard. The money is for after that, so I can marry Rinji-san, and he won't have to worry about you." Sasuke thought that Maiya was about to through a fit, but Naruto somehow knew better. Rinji's face was red.

"Smart, Wakana-hime, I'll save it then," said Maiya. "At least I know Rinji will be well taken care of as well."

"Excuse me, I didn't realize you had company," said Wakana, finally noticing Sasuke and Naruto.

"Weary travelers," said Maiya. Wakana bowed at Naruto and Sasuke.

"I must go, or father really will wonder," said Wakana. She quickly exited. Rinji death glared Maiya.

"What the hell, did you just arrange for me to get married," he asked. Maiya waved her hand.

"She's been trying to get me to give you to her for ages," said Maiya. "We have to work now though. Naruto-san, Sasuke-san, will you please rest and if you need the bathroom there is an outhouse outside but please try not to hurt yourself." Rinji and Maiya left quickly, quietly arguing. Sasuke turned on Naruto.

"Have you figured out something?"

"Yeah," said Naruto. "But we have to keep quiet about it." Naruto whispered to Sasuke the story of the Juubi and the Rikudo Sennin. Naruto put the pieces together and realized that Rinji must be the Rikudo Sennin before becoming legendary and the two of them must have been sent back in time to learn something. Sasuke looked skeptical at him, but when Naruto talked about the Senju and Uchiha Clans being traced back to the sons of the Rikudo Sennin and the chain of hatred that began there. "Wakana must be Rinji's wife, who bears the children. I never heard of Maiya though. She might be my ancestor."

"Of course your ancestor would be in the middle of everything," said Sasuke, snorting. "So, this is either a time warp or a really good genjutsu because I have tried to get out of it and it's not working. And did you say something about the Rinnegan." Naruto sighed and explained what the Rinnegan did the best he could and that it only appeared in a person every once in a while. "Guess we are stuck here until we learn our lesson."

"You said it," said Naruto. "We can't let them know about this though. It sucks to lie to such nice people, but we don't want to mess up history otherwise who knows what might happen."


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Naruto.

**A Thousand Lifetimes**

_Chapter 2_

_When it is dark enough, you can see the stars – Persian proverb_

Naruto stretched his limbs as for the past three days he was stuck in bed. (All women in any time were scary when they were mothering sick and injured people who refused to sit still, Naruto noted). As always, Naruto is a decently fast healer, due to the demon sealed inside of him. Rinji was most surprised that Naruto was up and ready this morning. Naruto did not like to be idle for too long. He had little patience for sitting around doing nothing while more important things needed to be tended to. Sasuke was still healing, as he was always a slower healer than Naruto and the use of the Sharingan took a toll on his body even though he made the switch of eyes, the Sharingan still takes a toll on Sasuke's body every time he uses it.

Sasuke vowed internally not to show anyone in this time period his Sharingan, like Naruto said it could be dangerous to do so.

Rinji lent Naruto a set of old monk robes that had gotten to small for him. Rinji towered over Naruto by at least a foot. Naruto was dressed and ready to do something, while Sasuke rested. He could not just leave Sasuke here and try to find a way home by his lonesome, because it would not be right to abandon Sasuke.

"So, could I help around here in exchange for letting us stay here," asked Naruto. The monk and priestess both started to say that it was not necessary for him to do so and it was there job to help those in distress. "Besides, I get antsy when I can't do something productive."

"Well, I suppose, you could come with me," said Rinji. "I usually gather some fruits, nuts and firewood, so you can help with that, but I don't want you to strain yourself."

"Promise I won't," said Naruto. He was excited. He finally was ready to get out of this old temple and into the sunshine and the wilderness. Naruto wondered if he would learn anything from Rinji (who Naruto was still convinced was the Rikudo Sennin). Rinji and Maiya went in the kitchen to prepare lunches for Naruto and Rinji, leaving Naruto and Sasuke alone.

"You're not leaving me here to find your way home," asked Sasuke. Naruto bent down and glared at Sasuke. "What, idiot?"

"You're the idiot, Sasuke, I won't leave you alone," said Naruto, grinning. "Don't you know that by now?" Sasuke rolled his eyes, because that was not what Sasuke meant when he asked the question. "We'll talk later, be nice as it is possible to Maiya…though she'll probably smack the shit out of you…like she did to us yesterday…" Naruto shuddered at the thought of Maiya's little hands hitting him.

Naruto and Sasuke, during the previous day, had attempted to get up and exercise. Sasuke was also busy plotting an escape plan to get away from the monk, priestess and Naruto. Maiya had come in from wherever and whatever she was doing and scolded them. Naruto began whining, yes _whining_, that he was alright and he was bored and Sasuke just scoffed. Apparently, Maiya did not like the answers and smacked both of them multiple times. After that Naruto and Sasuke behaved like good guests.

"Women are insane," said Sasuke, wincing at the memory of yesterday.

"No kidding," said Naruto. He thought of Sakura, Tsunade, Hinata, Ino, Tenten, Temari, and Karin all back in his time. Everyone was probably really worried about him. He was probably going to get beat up by Sakura and Tsunade for worrying them so much. He missed his friends in Konoha, but it was not the time to dwell upon the past or was it future? Rinji entered with two little cloth bags that were filled with some food and a large scroll.

"Are you ready, Naruto-san," asked Rinji. Naruto nodded. He watched Rinji grab a monk's staff. It was metal and had rings dangling off of it. "It's a walking stick." Naruto nodded, he did not believe it was just a walking staff; it was weapon and a dangerous one in the hands of the monk. Naruto and Rinji exited the falling apart Amaterasu temple, into the woods. "North is where the towns are, just for future reference."

"So what kind of food are you looking for? Monks and Priestesses can't eat meat right," asked Naruto.

"Yeah, but when I found you and your friend Sasuke, we got some meat for you to eat. It tends to help bring up an injured person's strength," said Rinji. "Maiya and I live off of berries, nuts, rice, and on special occasions we can eat fish." Naruto liked the idea of fish. He did not have fish in a long time.

The forest was large just like the one outside of Konoha, making Naruto a little homesick. Being stuck in a different time for whatever reason was not fun, especially with Sasuke, who has mood swings. Sometimes he's sane enough to talk sense to and other times Naruto is too wary to actual go to sleep before Sasuke just in case the avenger decided to off Naruto while the blonde was asleep (not that it would work, but you know…).

Trees were actually larger than the ones in Konoha during Naruto's time. Animals scurried around the trees, like birds. Rinji was quiet as they walked through the forest. Naruto was still antsy. Normally he would have found enough food for a while as Naruto wanted to jump through the trees like a ninja is supposed to, but keeping his abilities secret was harder than Naruto imagined. He just hoped that Sasuke managed to keep his abilities secret as well. Naruto would not ever say this to Sasuke's face, but Naruto knew he was a show-off in some ways and Sasuke was just as bad as Naruto.

While Naruto resisted the urge to run around like a mad-man, Sasuke was brooding. He is best as brooding, of course. He was bored. With Naruto, Sasuke never got a moment's silence as Naruto just kept talking and talking like he always did. Naruto has not changed much since they were twelve, Sasuke noted, which he thought if Naruto ever wanted to be the accursed Hokage the blonde better grow up fast. Sasuke brooded about his revenge that he needed to complete in order to bring honor to the Uchiha name and his big brother.

He killed Danzou, during the Kage Summit and went the Akatsuki infiltrated Konoha again to find Naruto, Sasuke managed to kill the two council members Homura and Utatane. But Madara told Sasuke to go after Naruto, who was with Kirabi on an island in Kumo. Unfortunately for Sasuke, Konoha still stood when Sasuke left. Naruto had heard about the attack on Konoha from the Raikage and immediately tried to reach Konoha to help.

Naruto and Sasuke managed to meet somewhere and began fighting. Their fight brought them to the Valley of the End once again. The Uchiha avenger was so sure that he would have been able to kill Naruto, but the hesitation that set in during their fight, Sasuke did not expect. Naruto never had the heart to kill Sasuke. Sasuke was not called a genius for nothing; he knew that Naruto could have very easily during their first fight at the Valley used the demon fox's powers to kill Sasuke. Naruto was still stronger than Sasuke and for the life of him, Sasuke could not figure out why.

"Hey, Sasuke-san, do you like reading, I could lend you a scroll to look through, though the only things we have are about the pervious priestesses and monks that lived here," asked Maiya, entering the room with a couple of scrolls. Sasuke figured that reading will take his mind off of his time period and what he still had to do.

"Sure," said Sasuke. Perhaps Sasuke could figure out a way to get out of here. According to what he was told by Naruto and Madara, priestesses and monks were like pre-shinobi and pre-kunoichi. There very well could be hints about the type of things they used for fighting or whatever else they did. Maiya gave him the two scrolls that she brought with her and then went back to cleaning or cooking or whatever she did when she was not being a hospitable hostess.

Sasuke was thankful that he was not going blind anymore as he opened the first scroll. The handwriting and the scroll were aged considerably but it was still legible. The handwriting was neat and proper from what Sasuke could see. At top of the scroll was the name of who Sasuke assumed wrote the scroll, _'Namikaze Hisano.'_

Sasuke read:

'_I ran away and hid as my family and friends and others I cared about and that cared about me were killed by Kumaromaru. I was scared and I should have died with them. And now Kumaromaru was in charge of everyone. He was a very bad person. I have decided that I'm going to kill him to avenge those he killed. I will kill Kumaromaru and anyone else who stands in my way.' _

Sasuke breathed in and out. This person was an avenger like him. He continued to read. Sasuke found out that at the time of the rise of this Kumaromaru fellow that Hisano was merely a thirteen year old girl. She was already trained in some fighting arts and skilled in writing. Like Sasuke, Hisano lost herself to revenge for ten years.

The ten years of trying to find ways to get to Kumaromaru and kill him, Hisano committed murder of the men working under her target, not thinking. Her writing for sometime was insane, very insane. Sasuke knew that he was at the point of insanity as well. Then all of a sudden, Hisano regretted big time what she was doing herself and those around her.

She explained it as such:

'_What was I thinking during these past ten years? The problem was that I wasn't thinking. I turned myself into a monster, just like Kumaromaru. I'm no better than him. I senselessly killed people who really had nothing to do with my revenge, those people that had families of their own that would miss them. I was wrong, very wrong to have thrown myself on a path of self-destruction and misery. I am completely and utterly alone. I have no one to care about my well being like my mother used to or scold me when I was being stupid like my father did. I should die along Kumaromaru to atone for my sins.'_

Sasuke grumbled to himself, "What a weak-minded fool, she was doing the right thing to get her revenge and now she's worried about the sins she committed…" The next entry was very frantic.

'_I have to stop Kumaromaru. He-he is planning on sacrificing seven thousand people for immortality! Seven thousand people are almost all the world's population! I can't believe it! I have to stop him from doing this…this is bigger than my revenge…I am going to kill him to save everybody else, even if I die!'_

"Sounds like the idiot," said Sasuke, not realizing that he had a ghost of a smile on his face. He continued to read. It was after she managed to sneak into Kumaromaru's home and have a battle with him. She explained in detail how the fight went as she managed to kill the man that she wanted to kill for ten years.

Afterwards, the last entry of the scroll stated:

'_After I made for certain that the tyrant was dead, the Shinigami-sama showed up. I was surprised at its arrival, but I watched Shinigami-sama take Kumaromaru's soul. The soul was yelling at me, calling me a worthless bitch and the like. The Shinigami told me, "Thanks for killing this man…in exchange I will give you something, but you must promise to never kill again. Also anyone with your blood will now be able to make deals with me instead of just giving up their lives." I agreed to the terms as I planned never to spill blood with my hands again. The powers were that of priestesses and monks that normally had those powers since birth and honed through training. I vowed that I was going to become a proper priestess and help people whenever I can to cleanse my soul.'_

Sasuke sighed. Hisano got her revenge but she still regretted becoming a monster, as she called it. What did that woman know anyway? Sasuke's revenge was definitely much more justified than hers, anyway. He closed the scroll and opened the other one. It was a continuation of the other Hisano scroll. This time it was about the two small temples dedicated to the Sun Goddess Amaterasu and the Goddess of Mercy Kwannon. It explained Hisano meeting a monk named Shikiou, who opened the Tsukiyomi, the Moon God, and the Koushin, God of Roads, temples next to hers.

Sasuke skimmed the rest of the scroll. It was just about how she ran her temples and her partnership with Shikiou and how many people joined and things like that. There was nothing about jutsu or chakra or anything related to being a ninja. Sasuke sighed, again and wondered for a moment if Naruto was having fun being outside and not confined to a bed.

Naruto had just finished helping Rinji collect berries, nuts, and firewood. They were going to try to catch some fish before they headed back to the temple. But Naruto was getting annoyed, as he lugged the firewood, Rinji stopped again to examine a plant. He carried a scroll which he had to open and close to write something down, constantly. Naruto did not question why Rinji did so because he thought it would have been rude to do so.

"Alright, then, let's keep going," said Rinji. Naruto kept walking and wished that Rinji would not stop again. Rinji said that they had to yet eat lunch and then meditate. If they wanted to catch some fish too, Naruto wished that he would hurry up. Rinji was not as cool as Naruto first pegged him to be…Rinji was actually kind of weird.

"So, what do you kept writing down," asked Naruto, as he could not hold in the question for much longer.

"Oh, I have been trying a way to figure out how to use natural energy or senjutsu. I know how to use life energy or chakra a bit," said Rinji. Naruto almost stumbled over. The only way Naruto knew how to use senjutsu if the toads taught you with the special oil. But how did Rinji know about senjutsu? Then Naruto remembered that he had to be clueless about both the subjects.

"What's all that about energies," asked Naruto. Rinji got the same look in his eyes as Sakura did when she began explaining something that she was knowledgeable in. Naruto listened on and off, only really listening if something interesting caught Naruto's attention. They managed to arrive at a rocky area where Rinji set down his things.

"So, the only person that I know of that ever used senjutsu was Head Priestess Hinako years ago when the Juubi first appeared," said Rinji. "Do you know how to meditate, Naruto-san?"

"Well, not really," said Naruto, sheepishly, which of course was a big lie. Naruto put the name of Head Priestess Hinako in his mind for future reference. When Naruto returned to his time, he will ask the toads about her if she knew senjutsu. Rinji instructed Naruto on how to meditate properly, Naruto fell into step as Rinji stopped talking.

The blonde was tired for some reason. He went slowly with walking like a normal person and collecting things and constantly stopping to appease Rinji's mind today which was probably the cause of his sleepiness. Naruto could not help but dose off in the middle of meditating.

It was around dinner time when Rinji and Naruto returned to the temple. Naruto impressed Rinji by catching four fish for him and Sasuke. Maiya took the food from Rinji and Naruto.

"You better get some rest Naruto-san you look tired," said Maiya. "Rinji put away the firewood." Naruto headed to the room that he shared with Sasuke for the time being, to find Sasuke sitting up in his bed looking over scrolls.

"Hey," said Naruto.

"Oh, hi," said Sasuke. Naruto noted that Sasuke was in his somewhat sane-mode, which was good. "Any ideas on how to get out of here?"

"No, but I learned that there was a Head Priestess Hinako who used senjutsu like I can," said Naruto, in a hushed whisper. "I gotta ask the toads about that when we get back."

"Did you try your summons," asked Sasuke.

"Yeah, last night while you were sleeping, nothing," said Naruto. "What are you reading?"

"The founder of the two goddess dedicated temples, Head Priestess Hisano," said Sasuke. "She was an avenger, but then she became kind of like you, you know wanting to the save everyone and all." Naruto rolled his eyes. Just what Naruto needed, Sasuke trying to rationalize his revenge though this Hisano woman.

"We're having fish tonight for dinner," said Naruto.

"Ah," said Sasuke. "I need a couple more days rest, and then we can really try to find out way back to our time." Naruto nodded. He needed a nap.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own Naruto.

**A Thousand Lifetimes**

_Chapter 3_

_Lie awake in bed at night_

_And think about your life_

_Do you want to be different?_

_Try to let go of the truth_

_The battles of your youth_ – 30 Seconds to Mars

A week has passed since Naruto was allowed to go off with Rinji on the monk's daily excursions. It was Sasuke's turn to be physically healed completely. Mentally, on the other hand, Sasuke was on very shaky grounds. Naruto had been able to tell when Sasuke was able to listen to reason and when Sasuke should not be approached or spoken to. Sasuke went into fits of extreme brooding at least twice a day. Naruto never could tell what set Sasuke into such a mind set. He also knew that Maiya and Rinji both noticed Sasuke's strange behaviors (obviously) and Naruto could tell that they wanted to help Sasuke as much as Naruto did. But Naruto realized that for Sasuke to actually see some reason, the dark haired avenger should want the help first. No sense in forcing Sasuke to be something he's not.

As it were, Naruto figured that if Sasuke's mind was occupied with something other than their time or revenge or his Clan, maybe, Sasuke can be decent. Naruto, thus, volunteered Sasuke's time to join Rinji and Naruto on the daily excursions.

Sasuke, dressed in one of Rinji's old outfits like Naruto, prepared to stretch his legs and get some exercise. Naruto, the previous night while Sasuke was approachable with words, told him that Rinji takes his sweet time getting places and that walking was somewhat boring. Sasuke, then, did not see why he had to go, but realized that Naruto wanted to keep an eye on Sasuke, which annoyed the avenger. Uchiha Sasuke was not a baby that needed constant attention, nor was he some charity case.

"Ready to head out, Naruto-san, Sasuke-san," asked Rinji. Naruto agreed. Sasuke did not say anything, but the monk took it as agreement. Learning Sasuke's mannerisms were not all that hard. Maiya waved them off, while her days were tending to the temple that was falling apart and chores.

Sasuke walked somewhat behind Naruto and Rinji. The two were talking enthusiastically about animals or something like that; Sasuke was not paying much attention. He really did not want to be here anymore. He wanted to go home and deal with then, not somewhere in the past where Naruto and Sasuke really should not be.

The forest was nothing impressive or anything. Sasuke's guard was up from attackers that probably did not exist. He had the very strong urge to go train (or fight something).

"Oi, Sasuke, stop staring out into space," said Naruto. Sasuke stared at Naruto, who grinned and pointed at Rinji. Rinji was writing something in his scroll, while observing a plant that Sasuke has never seen before.

"What's he doing," asked Sasuke.

"I told you, observing nature," said Naruto. "It'll be ten minutes before we start walking again." Sasuke sighed, annoyed. This trip was going to take forever. "I know, I know, but be patient...which is something you are so good at."

"Your sarcasm is noted, dobe. It used to go right over your head," said Sasuke. The two boys glared each other, like they normally used to do.

"Let's go," said Rinji, raising an eyebrow at the two boys. Naruto and Sasuke snorted and followed Rinji. Rinji tried to ignore the boys giving each other dirty looks; it was making him quite uncomfortable.

"Hey, Rinji, could you tell us everything about Head Priestess Hinako, you know the one that used senjutsu," asked Naruto. Rinji stared, that was a random question.

"Well, I could, but I'm not much of a storyteller. But if you really want to know you should ask Maiya, she'd likes talking about the past," said Rinji. Rinji was more of a person that dealt with things that he could see and touch, Maiya dealt with abstract thoughts and theories. Naruto made a mental note to ask Maiya about Hinako during dinner.

Two hours later and ten times Rinji stopped to study a new plant; Naruto and Sasuke were collecting different kinds of berries and nuts. Naruto wondered how many berries they should get now that both he and Sasuke were at full health (both boys could eat much). Sasuke was busy wondering what the difference between the nuts he was gathering was and resisted the urge to tell Rinji to stop being weird and help them.

"He's mumbling to himself," said Sasuke to Naruto, in a hushed tone. Naruto shrugged; Rinji was saner than Sasuke.

"Shall we go meditate? Do you two want fish for dinner tonight," said Rinji. "Then we have to fish after meditation."

"Fish is fine," said Naruto. Sasuke did not say anything. What he really wanted to eat was some meat; Sasuke was getting sick of fish, berries, and nuts. He ate them for the past two weeks. Naruto gave Sasuke a look. The three of them walked to a clearing. Rinji sat down and Naruto and Sasuke followed suit.

"Oh you know how to meditate Sasuke-san," asked Rinji.

"Naruto told me," said Sasuke, quickly. Rinji looked at him, which made him feel very uncomfortable. As Rinji went into a deep meditation and Naruto dozed off, Sasuke snorted. He did not need this at all. Sasuke quietly got up and jumped into the trees and ran. He didn't need his old clothes (his sword was missing, Sasuke figures it is back in his time). Sasuke could figure out his own way home.

Whether Naruto returned to their timeline or not was not Sasuke's problem. He long since named Naruto an enemy and denied their former bond as teammates and best friends. However, Sasuke did not count on Naruto realizing what Sasuke was doing, especially when Sasuke was kicked in the back to the ground.

"What the hell," Sasuke asked, angrily, and getting into a defensive stance. Naruto was glaring at him.

"Where do you think you're going," asked Naruto, in a deathly calm voice.

"I'm leaving, what does it look like I'm doing, idiot," snapped Sasuke.

"So, you're just going to leave like that. How selfish can you get? Do you know what I have to do to defend you when everyone wants to kill you? Sakura doesn't even think it's right to keep you alive," said Naruto, not amused.

"You and I don't need each other to get back home, you know this, and so what's the big deal? I told you we are not friends anymore. I don't belong to Konoha or to anymore. I am an avenger, you shouldn't bother with me. You are too kind sometimes and that'll get you killed by maybe not me but someone else," snarled Sasuke. The 'someone else' was, of course, Uchiha Madara, who Sasuke referred to.

"Looks to me like you're running away from, I don't know, caring about someone other than yourself," said Naruto. "What would your brother say?" Sasuke growled and charged at Naruto, punching him in the face, which did not faze Naruto at all. Naruto wordlessly kicked Sasuke back. "So this is how it is going to be again, huh, Sasuke?" Naruto knew full well that mentioning Sasuke's older brother Itachi would get Sasuke beyond angry and attack him.

Naruto and Sasuke, perhaps both aware of where they are did not use chakra, were beating the tar out of each other. Punches and kicks flew relentlessly, neither bothered to dodge or block them. Their tempers were getting the better of them.

Naruto ran up a tree and used it to propel his body towards Sasuke with much force. Sasuke kicked Naruto away, though. At the rate of pure brawling that they were doing, both Naruto and Sasuke would wind up with concussions. After several trees were brought down, Sasuke found himself pinned to the ground. Naruto found himself pinned to a tree.

The latter felt this move before during his fight with Pain. Rinji activated his Rinnegan and used a fraction of the Shirai Tensai, the ability to manipulate gravity, to stop them from fighting anymore. Rinji had a look of disappointment and confusion on his face. The monk deactivated his doujutsu.

He grabbed both boys by their clothes and stood them up.

"What in the name of Kami were you two doing? You looked about ready to kill each other. I was under the impression that the two of you were friends and traveling partners. Friends are not supposed to look like that when looking at each other. Maiya and I took you two in and let you stay with us for the past two weeks so we respected your privacy. I didn't mind when you two whisper in your room at night, but now I really like an explanation, before I drag you to back to the temple to get you fixed up again," said Rinji, full of authority. Naruto and Sasuke merely looked at the ground, Naruto in shame and Sasuke in contempt.

Suddenly, Naruto did not feel too good, like his lungs were not working properly. He passed out. Rinji startled by Naruto suddenly stopped breathing properly, let Sasuke go.

"Easy, Naruto-san, breathe, please," said Rinji. Sasuke stared at Naruto struggling to breathe and he bolted. Rinji glared at Sasuke's retreating figure. He picked up Naruto and ran. Rinji reached the temple in a matter of minutes and Naruto's breathing returned to normal. Maiya was fixing the roof, when she saw Rinji carrying an unconscious Naruto and Sasuke no where in sight. Maiya jumped off the roof and towards the two men.

"What happened," Maiya asked, as she helped Rinji set Naruto down on his futon in the guest area that Naruto and Sasuke are staying in. Naruto was resting peacefully, when Maiya stared at Rinji. "Tell me."

"Naruto-san and Sasuke-san got into a huge fight or something. I heard a little of it. It seems you were right that our guests weren't telling us the complete truth. When I stopped both of them from killing each other, I scolded them and then Naruto passed out. Something is wrong with his breathing. Sasuke ran," said Rinji. Maiya sighed.

"Go after Sasuke-san, we can't have him in town. I'll see what I can do for Naruto-san," said Maiya. Rinji nodded. He left as Maiya got a bowl of water. She cleaned up the bruises and some of the blood on Naruto's face. She wondered what really went on between the boys.

About ten minutes later, Naruto sat up. Maiya jumped back, being startled. Naruto looked around frantically.

"Where's Sasuke," asked Naruto. Maiya frowned.

"Rinji's getting him," replied the priestess.

"I gotta go," said Naruto, trying to get up. Maiya hit him on the head.

"Sit down, Rinji has got this. Once Sasuke-san is back, you two have some explaining to do. You can trust Rinji," said Maiya. Naruto sighed. What was wrong with him? This is the second time that he passed out from breathing off. The first time was in the Land of Iron, after everyone told him how evil Sasuke was and how he needed to be killed for the betterment of the world. Naruto thought that it was an anxiety attack, but now, Naruto is not too sure. Once he gets back to Konoha, Sakura or Tsunade is seriously going to have to take a good look into Naruto's health.

Meanwhile, Rinji managed to catch up with Sasuke. Sasuke did not fight back when Rinji told him to stop and talk to him. Sasuke glared at the monk; the kind monk who took him in and cared for his injuries and let him stay in the temple even though Rinji and Maiya were generally poor and did not have much to give.

"What are you doing, Sasuke-san," asked Rinji, sadly. "Do you really not care about Naruto-san like the way he does about you? Naruto-san could be possibly very ill and you just ran away. At this point, I really don't care what you or his story is; it's not any of my business. However, you are so angry all the time and sometimes Naruto must walk around at night as if he were worried that you actually would kill him in his sleep."

"You're right; this is none of your business. I have my path set out before me and it does not include that meddling blonde idiot or you or the moronic priestess. I must avenge my family and Naruto will always be in my way, until he dies," said Sasuke, snarling like a mad-man.

"Sasuke-san is a self-proclaimed avenger. You read the story of Head Priestess Hisano, do you learn nothing? Revenge is a selfish path, Sasuke-san. It makes no one happy, not the dead you are trying to avenge, not the people that care about you, not yourself. I can only tell you these things, for I am not in your place, and hope that you make the right choices. Deep down you are confused and scared to care about anyone else but your dead family," said Rinji. "There is one thing I am very sure of though, Naruto cares about you, whether you like to acknowledge it or not. In your darkest hour or a mere time when you are unwell, I'm sure that he would never abandon you. So will you come back with me, so Maiya can tend to your wounds and you can speak to Naruto?" Sasuke and Rinji stared at each other for a good ten minutes.

Sasuke knew that there was no way that he could beat Rinji in a fight, without chakra, especially all bruised and bloodied up by Naruto and he did just recover from worse injuries. Sasuke grunted. He'd go back for now, but there was no way that he was going to talk to that idiot again!

Naruto apparently felt the same way as Sasuke. Naruto refused to talk to Sasuke, when he and Rinji returned. Maiya and Rinji merely exchanged looks of worry during dinner as Sasuke and Naruto gave the other the silent treatment. With Naruto and Sasuke not on speaking terms, how can they figure out a way home, now?


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own Naruto. (Note: I had the end of this chapter planned before we found out about the Uzumaki-Senju connection (with solid evidence, not just conjecture), whether you believe me or not is up to you).

**A Thousand Lifetimes**

_Chapter 4_

_And as you pray in your darkness_

_For wings to set you free_

_You are bound to your silent legacy – _Melissa Etheridge

Three weeks passed since Naruto and Sasuke's big argument and fight. It has been three long, awkward weeks for the monk and priestess of Amaterasu temple. Out of respect to Naruto and Sasuke's privacy, neither attempted to mend what was left of the friendship/relationship the two boys had left. However, Rinji and Maiya both thought it would be a good idea to keep Sasuke and Naruto apart during the day and hope to the gods that they would not kill each other in the middle of the night.

Sasuke, thus, always went out with Rinji (for safety purposes) during daily excursions to find food. So, Naruto stayed at the temple and assisted Maiya with fixing up the temple and other chores. Naruto did not realize how much work Maiya accomplishes during the day while Rinji is away. She attempts to fix holes and things that are falling off the temple. She cleans, she does the laundry, she collects the water for cleaning and baths, she cleans the yard around the temple of weeds and tends to the small garden that they have. And after all, that she still has time to read over old scrolls and rewrite them (for copies, just in case).

Naruto was thankful now to the genin work he did when he was younger, so he was able to help Maiya do much of the work. Naruto, even, managed to fix all the holes in the roof.

Today, however, as Naruto helped lug water into the house for tonight's dinner and baths, Maiya was deep in thought. She almost always was and Naruto figured that Maiya (and probably Hinako and Hisano) is where his father Minato inherited some of his genius from. After that chore was finished, the chores were over for the day. With Naruto and Maiya both working, it took half the time it normally takes Maiya to do all the chores.

"Hey, Naruto-san, I want to show you something," said Maiya. He followed her to her room. Not much was different from Sasuke and his room; it was plain like a priestess should have it. To his surprise, she lifted open a secret door from the floor, which had stairs going down. Naruto had no idea temples could have basements. "This is the temple's library, as Rinji calls it. It has seals specially created to protect and house books for an extremely long time. Fire, even, can't get in. Head Priestess Hinako and her priestesses designed it. Rinji thought since you were interested in the older priestesses and monks I should show you it."

"Wow, thanks," said Naruto, stunned, as he followed Maiya down the flight of stairs. The library was the same size as a normal room in the temple, but it had shelves of books and papers everywhere. There was a small desk with some scrolls open on it. Naruto quickly spotted some seals that are used to create Jinchuuriki. He pretended not to notice. Maiya and Rinji really were trying to figure out a way to seal Juubi in Rinji. Maiya began searching for something, while Naruto studied more of the scrolls in the library.

Some of the works he knew were one of a kind, which was why Maiya was bothering to make hand copies. Naruto saw some unusual items that he did not think belonged in a library. There was a backpack with a seal on it that Naruto knew was used for storing things. There was a small, circular mirror that gave Naruto the chills. Another item was a large fan, similar to his friend Temari's fan, which had the kanji for 'elements' on it. There were medium sized bells each stood for five elements (fire, water, wind, earth, and lightning). A porcelain tea set, hand-crafted and painted animal dolls, a plain looking jewelry box, and two large scrolls that didn't fit in with the other smaller scrolls were other items Naruto did not suspect. One scroll made Naruto's heart ache for it was the summoning contract with the toads, the other was for wolves.

What made Naruto smile was Maiya's name was on the toad's summoning contract and Rinji's name was on the wolves' summoning contract.

"Here, Head Priestess Hinako's scroll. You see every priestess and monk kept a journal so to speak of their time at the temple and maybe of their life before or after it. It was a rule. Rinji and I both keep journals as well. It is a good practice so we can impart knowledge onto the next generations," said Maiya. She handed Naruto a scroll. Naruto sat down and opened the scroll. The header read _'Head Priestess Namikaze Hinako of the Amaterasu Temple'_.

Naruto smiled and continued to read his ancestor's scroll.

'_Now that I am old enough and I learned enough to write, I was told to write my story, my life down in a scroll for future generations. While I am not yet Head Priestess, I will be someday soon. As it says on the top, my name is Namikaze Hinako, the great-granddaughter of Namikaze Hisano, founder of the Amaterasu and Kwannon temples. I am twelve and a half years old._

_I suppose I should start with my birth. I was born to the Head Priestess of Amaterasu temple, Namikaze woman, the granddaughter of Namikaze Hisano, her name was Hachiyo, and I know barely anything of my father. I know, though, that he was not a monk, but a traveler that my mother fell in love with…either he died or left._

_My mother Hachiyo's mother was still alive while I was young (Namikaze have extremely long lives, except when we do something stupid). My grandmother Haimi is the daughter of Hisano, my grandfather also was a traveler like my father and either died or left. I'm certain that Namikaze women (as there have never been any men yet) have bad luck concerning love—either the Namikaze can't be with the person they love or that person leaves or dies._

_As it were I was raised by all the priestesses. I don't eat meat. I will never get married. I meditate three hours a day and I practice fighting skills. I do chores like all the other priestesses in training. We cook, clean, do laundry, and the like. We also attend lessons to learn how to read and write for it is demanded of both monks and priestesses to be able to do so.'_

Naruto was grinning ear-to-ear. He had names of family—Hisano, Haimi, Hachiyo, Hinako and Maiya plus his parents' names. So far women out number men in the Namikaze family, which Naruto found quite the oddity, but figured it was not so bad. He skimmed down as she obviously hated chores and ranted about it as such.

At fifteen, she became the Head Priestess when her mother and grandmother both died of a terrible illness. Hinako did not write much until she was sixteen, where she seemed a bit better as she began writing about her good friends.

'_My best friend was Kohaku. She is the most organized person ever. She's assigned herself the role of my assistant, because she claims that I would be late for everything, which is partially true. Kohaku made my life easier, even though I tell her she shouldn't bother. She's such a good person._

_Kiyo is another of my friends. She's an excellent herbalist and chef. Her food is simply the best and she enjoys cooking so I put her in charge of the kitchens (all the four temples eat together). Kimi is possibly one of the smartest girls I ever met. By five she was reading and writing much better than anyone else. Kohaku, Kiyo and Kimi stay with me at the Amaterasu temple and like me were born to Amaterasu priestesses. But I have good friends over at the Kwannon temple, whom I see everyday._

_Otohime is simply the fastest person around, so she's the temples' messenger and she is the prettiest out of all the girls. She's really sweet, she always willing to sneak out to town with me when we get bored. She was born to a Kwannon priestess. Then, there is Haruno Sakuya (she gave herself her last name, said it went with her first name). She was an orphan with unusual pink hair and green eyes, who stumbled across the temples at age four. Like Kimi, Sakuya is smart and a very fast learner. Naturally Kimi and Sakuya are good-natured rivals._

_Last but not least, there is Hyuuga Chuujo (Sakuya gave Chuujo that last name). She was another strange orphan that appeared at age five (a year after Sakuya). Chuujo is blind, but oddly enough the gods gave her a gift of sight in a different way. She can see through things as well as she calls it 'the weird dot system in humans.' She can't turn it off, but with the help of Sakuya and Kimi, Chuujo has put her ability to good use. My six friends and I realized that we can control life energy or chakra.'_

Naruto made mental notes to tell Sakura, Neji, and Hinata that their ancestors and his were friends. Neji and Hinata surely would like to know how their bloodline started. Maybe he could look around at Chuujo and Sakuya's scrolls too just for the three of them. Naruto read on as the priestesses worked endlessly to use chakra, there were diagrams written by Hinako that Naruto could barely understand. But they had help from their monk counterparts in the Tsukiyomi and Koushin temples.

'_Most of the monks were nice. From the Koushin Temple, there was Raiko, Aburmane Genno, and Ruiten. Raiko was Kiyo's best friend. They spent hours arguing over the finer points of whatever plant they found that day. Aburmane Genno was really quiet, but very nice. He, strangely enough, loved bugs and studied them endlessly. I figure when the lot of us figures out chakra to the full extent Genno will figure out a way to use bugs like they were his familiars. _

_Ruiten, the poor man, was the Head Monk's assistant like Kohaku was to me. From the Tsukiyomi Temple, there were Mosaku, Shiro and Inuzuka Takeru. Mosaku was also an herbalist, but also excelled at brewing alcohol to sell to the Eddy Village that lay through the forest. Shiro was the best medic around and he let you know that too. He could get annoying with his bragging, but he generally was a good guy. Inuzuka Takeru was Genno's best friend, but unlike Genno, Takeru was devoted to wolves and dogs._

_Last but certainly least was Head Monk Hazoku, the sixteen year old in charge of Tsukiyomi and Koushin Temples.'_

Naruto had to re-read that line over again just to make sure he read it right the first time. Hinako does not seem to like Hazoku. He shook his head, with a smile, and he had to remember to take a look at Aburmane Genno and Inuzuka Takeru's scrolls as well. So, Naruto continued to read.

'_Hazoku is insufferable. He's such a jerk sometimes I swear. There is no reason to tease me, what are we four? He's been like this ever since, well ever. He thinks he is the gods' gift to the world. Monks are supposed to be humble. He's nice to everyone except me (and he is bossy towards Ruiten and the other monks). Seriously, that guy, if he had it his way, the monks would be the ones to get credit for the use of chakra, like I'm going to let that happen over my dead body._

_Yes, we argue a lot, if you hadn't guessed it by now.'_

Naruto burst out laughing. He could just see it now, sixteen year old Head Priestess Hinako ranting and raving about Hazoku to Kohaku, who probably heard the same thing hundreds of times before. Hinako did not hate Hazoku, she liked him. Naruto just laughed. Maiya thought he had gone crazy.

"What's so funny," asked Maiya.

"Hinako and Hazoku so like each other," said Naruto, laughing. Jiraiya would so use this for an Icha Icha Paradise book. The thought subdued Naruto's laughter. Maiya smiled.

"Oh, I noticed that too," said Maiya. She grabbed another scroll and opened it. "They were sixteen, right? Here's what Hazoku said about Hinako." Naruto took a look at Hazoku's scroll.

'_Hinako is so beautiful when she's angry at me. My three year plan is working, she's going to fall in love with me soon enough or kill me, either way she's so thinking about me right now. I, Head Monk Hazoku, am a genius.'_

Naruto rolled his eyes. Naruto knew that if Hinako found out about Hazoku's three year plan, she definitely kill the Head Monk. He went back to Hinako's scroll. Sure enough, Hazoku's three year plan does work and she does find out about it, but she's not that angry about it. While Hinako and Hazoku aren't allowed to get married, they were still technically together. Soon enough, Hinako was pregnant. Naruto was glad that there were happy times at the temples. Hinako, at age twenty, gave birth to a baby girl Namikaze Maemi (who Naruto added to his list of relatives). The priestesses and monks used chakra regularly like a ninja would. The herbalists and medics used jutsu similar to Tsunade and Sakura's healing. Genno and Takeru bonded closely with their creature of choice. Kimi, Sakuya, Kohaku, Ruiten, Hinako, Hazoku, Chuujo and Otohime practiced daily chakra exercises.

Naruto sighed as he read the next part.

'_A dark demon has arrived on our world. We do not know where it came from or why is it here, but it's been killing people. As Head Priestess Hisano once did, I must face the evil that threatens the world. Sakuya, Kimi and I have been working on something as soon as we sensed the evil being arrive, whom we call Juubi. It's dangerous but must be done.'_

He knew exactly what she was talking about—she was going to try to seal the demon inside herself. Naruto really did not want to read the next part but he willed himself on.

'_I am quite ill, I'm afraid. I had a miscarriage, it was terrible and I wish not to describe it. Hazoku, my beloved, is constantly by my side, taking care of me. Juubi is headed straight towards us and I worry about the safety of my friends, my love and my precious child Maemi. I know they all say that they will help me, but I'm afraid I must do this one my own to protect them. _

_This possibly may be the last time I write, so I would like to give a message to my daughter and our descendants._

_Work hard and you will achieve great things. Try not to get into too much trouble. When you love someone, love them without judgment. Believe in the goodness of people.'_

It was the end of the scroll. Naruto re-read the message to him. She was right and Naruto will remember those words. Naruto sighed.

"So what exactly happened to Hinako," asked Naruto.

"Well, after her death, none of the twelve monks and priestesses wrote much about it. Hazoku stopped writing all together except about Hinako 'She left' and about Maemi 'They took her away from me.' From what I gather, Hinako snuck out in the night and fought Juubi. She attempted to seal it inside of her, but apparently the seals were not right for it and she dies. But there was something else I found disturbing. While Kimi and Sakuya worked on seals with Hinako, Hinako confided more in Hazoku. I believe since she couldn't seal Juubi inside of her, but," said Maiya.

"Hinako was related to Hisano, who had a deal with the Shinigami, so let me take a guess, Hinako's soul is sealed inside Juubi," said Naruto, sardonically.

"Right," said Maiya, sighing. Naruto was silent for a moment. What did Maiya say Hazoku write about Maemi?

"Maemi was Hinako and Hazoku's daughter, so after Hinako's death, she should have been raised by Hazoku," said Naruto. Maiya shook her head.

"Like Hinako said, they did not marry as per the rules. Maemi stayed at the Amaterasu Temple with Hinako. As it were, Hinako's death hit Hazoku hard and the only thing he lived for was Maemi, but she was not allowed to stay in Tsukiyomi and Koushin with her father," said Maiya. "Well, I can't really explain it well, so…" She rummaged through some other scrolls. "Ruiten explained it the best."

Naruto opened Ruiten's scroll, Hazoku's assistant and monk of Tsukiyomi.

'_Those old crones at the Kwannon Temple have some nerve taking Maemi-chan away from Hazoku. Seriously hasn't the loss of Hinako, the love of his life, been hard enough on him, now the older priestesses say that Hazoku has no right to raise Maemi, he is the girl's father. Well, I suppose I should explain more clearly or you can read Shikiou-sama and Hisano-sama's scrolls for the temple set up._

_Hinako was Head Priestess. She chose three priestesses from Amaterasu and three priestesses from Kwannon to be her support and council. Similarly, Hazoku being Head Monk chose three monks from Tsukiyomi and three monks from Koushin to be his support and council. In the event of a premature death of either Head Priestess or Head Monk, the elder priestesses or monks took over the temples until the appropriate youngling was raised to be the new Head. Since Hinako and Hazoku did not get married and their child was a girl, the priestesses are supposed to raise her._

_Now you know why Hinako's father left, and so on. I believe that Hisano-sama and Shikiou-sama did not mean for parents to be separate from their children, but for just in case. I and the others have been arguing on Hazoku's belief to get Maemi to be in his custody. I'm sure Hinako would want Maemi to be raised by Hazoku.'_

"Harsh," said Naruto. "Well, I have some things to think about. Tell me when you want help with dinner." Naruto exited the underground library with his thoughts crazy.

Meanwhile, Rinji and Sasuke were meditating in a clearing of the woods. Sasuke was terribly bored with Rinji, but he understood that it was for the best that he was away from that idiot while Sasuke was still angry with him. Rinji did not speak much to Sasuke about what happened three weeks ago, but he knew that Rinji really wanted to. Rinji and Maiya were being way too nice to him and Naruto. If Sasuke were them, he would have kicked himself and Naruto out a long time ago.

"Do you want to go get some fish," asked Rinji.

"Naruto fishes better than me," said Sasuke, blankly.

"Hmm," said Rinji. "I think you should talk to Naruto-san again." Sasuke glared at Rinji.

"Why should I do that," he snapped.

"Because he really cares about you," said Rinji. Sasuke snorted. "Listen, I know you really don't want to hear this, but isn't Naruto-san more important than your revenge for people who wouldn't want you to destroy your life?"

"Shut up, you know nothing," said Sasuke. "Why doesn't everyone act like they are so much better than me? I know revenge is bad for me, I know it! Isn't it my choice what to do with my life? As for Naruto, he means nothing to me!"

"It is your choice what to do with your life, Sasuke-san, but isn't your choice a bit selfish?"

"Selfish, hardly. My revenge is perfectly justified and my family would want me to," he snapped.

"You'll regret it someday," said Rinji. "Revenge is not good for the soul. Do you know that your fate is connected to the choices you make? Don't you deserve to be happy; continuing on the path of revenge isn't really for you. I know deep, deep, down you are really a good person." Sasuke did not say anything. He knew full well what Rinji said was reasonable. "At least talk to Naruto again."

Back at the temple, Naruto was resting in his room. Sasuke and Rinji should be back soon with some nuts and berries. Sasuke hated fishing, so Naruto has been living off of noodles, nuts and berries. He felt like a rabbit. Maiya entered the room.

"Naruto-san, when are you going to start talking to Sasuke-san again," asked Maiya.

"I don't know, he's still angry with me," replied Naruto.

"It's awkward for me and Rinji, so can you make up with him," asked Maiya.

"I'll do my best," said Naruto. Sasuke was stubborn when he was angry (so was Naruto, but that's different).

Therefore, after dinner and the dishes were clean, Naruto and Sasuke sat in their shared room. Naruto knew that he was going to have to say something first. Sasuke would never apologize anyway.

"Sasuke, I'm sorry, well, I'm not too sure why I am, I suppose I shouldn't force my opinions down your throat," said Naruto. "I have lots to tell you about Head Priestess Hinako and stuff." Sasuke frowned, but then sighed.

"Sure, me too," said Sasuke. It was the best apology Naruto was ever going to get out of Sasuke and Naruto respected that fact. Sasuke did things in his own odd, off way. "So what about Hinako and Juubi?" Naruto explained what he previously learned about Hinako and her friends and Juubi. Added to the information about Hisano, Sasuke and Naruto both thought the key to get home was there somewhere.

"So Hinako's soul is in Juubi? Then, if her soul was not saved by Rinji-san when he, well, you know, that could possibly mean that her soul was split into nine when Juubi was," said Sasuke.

"And that would mean a piece of Hinako's soul is sealed inside of my fuzzy friend that's sealed inside of me," said Naruto. Sasuke and Naruto lapsed into silence, when Maiya yelled from outside. The two boys rushed out to find Rinji shaking his head amused at the young red haired boy that Maiya was beating up.

Just then, Wakana, the girl that would probably someday be Rinji's wife, rushed over to Maiya and the red haired boy.

"Damnit, I told you to wait for me," said Wakana, hands on her hips, scolding the boy. "I'm sorry about my little brother, Maiya-san, Rinji-san. He was just excited to meet you." Maiya laughed.

"Sorry, kid," said Maiya.

"Well, introduce your self," said Wakana. The red haired and brown eyed boy looked about twelve years old. His clothes were neat, but his hair was messy. Naruto almost winced; the boy's hair reminded him of his mother Kushina.

"I'm Uzumaki Itachi, next leader of the Eddy Village, pleased to me you all," said Uzumaki Itachi. He gave Maiya, Rinji, Naruto and Sasuke a double peace sign and a silly grin was on his face. Naruto was thoroughly disturbed, knowing for sure that this was another of his ancestors. Sasuke merely stared at the boy who shared the same name with his brother. Both Sasuke and Naruto had a feeling that they were in for big headaches.


End file.
